Dual Activation of Peroxymonosulfate Using MnFe\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e/g‑C\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eN\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e and Visible Light for the Efficient Degradation of Steroid Hormones: Performance, Mechanisms, and Environmental Impacts

Single activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in a homogeneous system is sometimes insufficient for producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) for water treatment applications. In this work, manganese spinel ferrite and graphitic carbon nitride (MnFe2O4/g-C3N4; MnF) were successfully used as an activator for PMS under visible light irradiation to remove the four-mostdetected- hormone-contaminated water under different environmental conditions. The incorporation of g-C3N4 in the nanocomposites led to material enhancements, including increased crystallinity, reduced particle agglomeration, amplified magnetism, improved recyclability, and increased active surface area, thereby facilitating the PMS activation and electron transfer processes. The dominant active radical species included singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide anions (O2 •−), which were more susceptible to the estrogen molecular structure than testosterone due to the higher electron-rich moieties. The self-scavenging effect occurred at high PMS concentrations, whereas elevated constituent ion concentrations can be both inhibitors and promoters due to the generation of secondary radicals. The MnF/PMS/vis system degradation byproducts and possible pathways of 17β-estradiol and 17α-methyltestosterone were identified. The impact of hormone-treated water on Oryza sativa L. seed germination, shoot length, and root length was found to be lower than that of untreated water. However, the viability of both ELT3 and Sertoli TM4 cells was affected only at higher water compositions. Our results confirmed that MnF and visible light could be potential PMS activators due to their superior degradation performance and ability to produce safer treated water

Adsorptive–Photocatalytic Performance for Antibiotic and Personal Care Product Using Cu\u3csub\u3e0.5\u3c/sub\u3eMn\u3csub\u3e0.5\u3c/sub\u3eFe\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e

The amount of antibiotics and personal care products entering local sewage systems and ultimately natural waters is increasing and raising concerns about long-term human health effects. We developed an adsorptive photocatalyst, Cu0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles, utilizing co-precipitation and calcination with melamine, and quantified its efficacy in removing paraben and oxytetracycline (OTC). During melamine calcination, Cu0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4 recrystallized, improving material crystallinity and purity for the adsorptive–photocatalytic reaction. Kinetic experiments showed that all four parabens and OTC were removed within 120 and 45 min. We found that contaminant adsorption and reaction with active radicals occurred almost simultaneously with the photocatalyst. OTC adsorption could be adequately described by the Brouers–Sotolongo kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. OTC photocatalytic degradation started with a series of reactions at different carbon locations (i.e., decarboxamidation, deamination, dehydroxylation, demethylation, and tautomerization). Further toxicity testing showed that Zea mays L. and Vigna radiata L. shoot indexes were less affected by treated water than root indexes. The Zea mays L. endodermis thickness and area decreased considerably after exposure to the 25% (v/v)-treated water. Overall, Cu0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles exhibit a remarkable adsorptive–photocatalytic performance for the degradation of tested antibiotics and personal care products

DETECTION OF SOYBEAN SEED PROTEIN QTLS USING SELECTIVE GENOTYPING

A quantitative trait locus (QTL) is a statically defined location of a gene governing that trait. QTL identification is the first step towards using marker-assisted selection (MAS) to introgress desirable QTL alleles into elite high-yield cultivars. Hundreds of high protein plant introductions (PIs) exist in the USDA germplasm collection and are a source of high protein alleles. Although 86 protein QTLs are currently listed in SoyBase, many are likely repeat discoveries of the same QTL(s), given the typical +/- 10 cM confidence intervals associated with QTL positions. Six germplasm accessions of maturity groups (MGs) II to IV that exhibited high seed protein (480 g kg-1 or more) were mated to a high-yielding cultivars of the same MG that exhibited normal seed protein (420 g kg-1 or less) to generate six F2 populations. A total of 240 individual F2 plants in each population produced F2:3 seed progenies that were phenotyped for seed protein content. Selective genotyping, or phenotypic tail analysis, was used to genotype only those F2:3 progenies occupying the lowest decile and the highest decile. A 1536-SNP locus assay chip was used for the genotyping. In the six mapping populations, eight protein QTLs with LOD scores greater than 3.0 were detected and mapped on five linkage groups using R/qtl. Significant QTLs on LG-C2 (Chromosome 6), LG-O (10), LG-B2 (14), LG-E (15), and LG-I (20) were detected. A review of the currently listed QTLs in Soybase (2010) indicated that no seed protein QTLs had been previously reported on LG-O (10). The new seed protein QTL discovered in this study in populations 1076, 1121, and 1122 is located on LG-O (10) near the two adjacent markers S19004 and S15265, and has an additive effect of 9.6, 7.9, and 6.5 g kg-1 greater seed protein, respectively. For improving the seed protein content in high yielding soybean cultivars, the accessions PI 437112A (1076), PI 398672 (1121), and PI 360843 (1122), which posses the high protein allele at this new LG-O (10) protein QTL, may be useful to soybean breeders

Induced resistance against Fusarium solani root rot disease in cassava plant (Manihot esculenta Crantz) promoted by salicylic acid and Bacillus subtilis

Root rot disease of cassava is one of the major diseases in Thailand, widespread incidence of soil-borne pathogens has been found to affect more than 80%. The research aims to investigate the effect of elicitors as salicylic acid and Bacillus subtilis strain JN2-007 for inducing resistance against root rot disease by Fusarium solani in cassava. The experiment was carried out in a susceptible cassava cultivar to test the efficacy of elicitors in the biochemical response of plant defense mechanisms pertaining to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and enzyme activities. The results indicated that pathogenicity test of F. solani isolate SHRD1 caused the brown lesions around the inoculation point on cassava roots. Subsequently, salicylic acid and JN2-007 reduced mycelial growth of F. solani (11.83%–57.73% at day 7), as well as disease severity in the cassava plants at 14 days after the inoculation compared to that of the negative control (28.12%–39.58% compared to 68.75%). Furthermore, salicylic acid at a concentration of 500 µl. L−1 could induce H2O2, level of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and catalase activities that were highest at 24 h after pathogen inoculation. The results suggested that elicitors played an important role as a plant defense inducer, leading to reduced Fusarium root rot disease

Multi-Population Selective Genotyping to Identify Soybean [\u3ci\u3eGlycine max\u3c/i\u3e (L.) Merr.] Seed Protein and Oil QTLs

Plant breeders continually generate ever-higher yielding cultivars, but also want to improve seed constituent value, which is mainly protein and oil, in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Identification of genetic loci governing those two traits would facilitate that effort. Though genome-wide association offers one such approach, selective genotyping of multiple biparental populations offers a complementary alternative, and was evaluated here, using 48 F2:3 populations (n = ~224 plants) created by mating 48 high protein germplasm accessions to cultivars of similar maturity, but with normal seed protein content. All F2:3 progeny were phenotyped for seed protein and oil, but only 22 high and 22 low extreme progeny in each F2:3 phenotypic distribution were genotyped with a 1536-SNP chip (ca. 450 bimorphic SNPs detected per mating). A significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) on one or more chromosomes was detected for protein in 35 (73%), and for oil in 25 (52%), of the 48 matings, and these QTL exhibited additive effects of $ 4 g kg–1 and R2 values of 0.07 or more. These results demonstrated that a multiple-population selective genotyping strategy, when focused on matings between parental phenotype extremes, can be used successfully to identify germplasm accessions possessing large-effect QTL alleles. Such accessions would be of interest to breeders to serve as parental donors of those alleles in cultivar development programs, though 17 of the 48 accessions were not unique in terms of SNP genotype, indicating that diversity among high protein accessions in the germplasm collection is less than what might ordinarily be assumed

Genetic and Molecular Characterization of Submergence Response Identifies \u3ci\u3eSubtol6\u3c/i\u3e as a Major Submergence Tolerance Locus in Maize

Maize is highly sensitive to short term flooding and submergence. Early season flooding reduces germination, survival and growth rate of maize seedlings. We aimed to discover genetic variation for submergence tolerance in maize and elucidate the genetic basis of submergence tolerance through transcriptional profiling and linkage analysis of contrasting genotypes. A diverse set of maize nested association mapping (NAM) founder lines were screened, and two highly tolerant (Mo18Wand M162W) and sensitive (B97 and B73) genotypes were identified. Tolerant lines exhibited delayed senescence and lower oxidative stress levels compared to sensitive lines. Transcriptome analysis was performed on these inbreds to provide genome level insights into the molecular responses to submergence. Tolerant lines had higher transcript abundance of several fermentation-related genes and an unannotated Pyrophosphate-Dependent Fructose-6-Phosphate 1-Phosphotransferase gene during submergence. A coexpression network enriched for CBF (C-REPEAT/DRE BINDING FACTOR: C-REPEAT/DRE BINDING FACTOR) genes, was induced by submergence in all four inbreds, but was more activated in the tolerant Mo18W. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from Mo18W and B73 was screened for submergence tolerance. A major QTL named Subtol6 was mapped to chromosome 6 that explains 22% of the phenotypic variation within the RIL population. We identified two candidate genes (HEMOGLOBIN2 and RAV1) underlying Subtol6 based on contrasting expression patterns observed in B73 and Mo18W. Sources of tolerance identified in this study (Subtol6) can be useful to increase survival rate during flooding events that are predicted to increase in frequency with climate change

Salicylic acid-induced accumulation of biochemical components associated with resistance against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in rice

Seed treatment and foliar sprays of salicylic acid (SA) provided protection in rice against bacterial leaf blight (BLB) caused by bacterial Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Treatment of rice with exogenous SA reduced disease severity by more than 38%. Superoxide anion production and hypersensitive response increased approximately 28% and 110% at 6 and 48 h after Xoo inoculation, respectively, for plants treated with SA. Moreover, the Xoo in treated rice plants grew more slowly, resulting in a population that was half of that observed in the control. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that the higher ratios of 1233/1517, 1467/1517, and 1735/1517 cm−1 observed in treated rice suggested alteration of monomer composition of lignin and pectin in the rice cell wall. Exogenous SA-treated rice had more amide I β-sheet structure and lipids as shown by the peaks at 1629, 2851, and 1735 cm−1. These biochemical changes of rice treated with SA and inoculated with Xoo were related to primed resistance of the rice plants to BLB disease

Multi-Population Selective Genotyping to Identify Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Seed Protein and Oil QTLs

Plant breeders continually generate ever-higher yielding cultivars, but also want to improve seed constituent value, which is mainly protein and oil, in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Identification of genetic loci governing those two traits would facilitate that effort. Though genome-wide association offers one such approach, selective genotyping of multiple biparental populations offers a complementary alternative, and was evaluated here, using 48 F2:3 populations (n = ∼224 plants) created by mating 48 high protein germplasm accessions to cultivars of similar maturity, but with normal seed protein content. All F2:3 progeny were phenotyped for seed protein and oil, but only 22 high and 22 low extreme progeny in each F2:3 phenotypic distribution were genotyped with a 1536-SNP chip (ca. 450 bimorphic SNPs detected per mating). A significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) on one or more chromosomes was detected for protein in 35 (73%), and for oil in 25 (52%), of the 48 matings, and these QTL exhibited additive effects of ≥ 4 g kg–1 and R2 values of 0.07 or more. These results demonstrated that a multiple-population selective genotyping strategy, when focused on matings between parental phenotype extremes, can be used successfully to identify germplasm accessions possessing large-effect QTL alleles. Such accessions would be of interest to breeders to serve as parental donors of those alleles in cultivar development programs, though 17 of the 48 accessions were not unique in terms of SNP genotype, indicating that diversity among high protein accessions in the germplasm collection is less than what might ordinarily be assumed

Synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy of chili resistance induced by Bacillus subtilis strain D604 against anthracnose disease

The aim of this study was to determine the resistance mechanisms of chili induced by the Bacillus subtilis strain D604 using synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy (SR-FTIR). In this study, the strain D604 reduced anthracnose disease severity in chili plants by approximately 31.10%. The SR-FTIR spectral changes from the epidermis and mesophyll leaf tissue revealed higher integral areas for the C=O ester from lipids, lignin, or pectin (1770–1700 cm−1) as well as polysaccharides (1200–900 cm−1) in the treated samples of D606 and distilled water and then challenge inoculation with chili anthracnose pathogen, Colletotrichum acutatum. The secondary structure of the Amide I protein failed to convert from alpha helices (centered at 1650 cm−1) to beta sheets (centered at 1600 cm−1) in the mesophyll of samples not treated with D604. This study suggested that the strain D604 induced resistance against anthracnose pathogen in chili by inducing cellular changes related to defense compounds involved in plant defense mechanism

Flour on Gluten-Free Muffins from Different Edible Cassava Varieties in Thailand

In Thailand new edible cassava varieties have been developed to be used in the food industry. The aim of this research was to analyze the difference between flour from three cassava varieties and to evaluate the suitability and quality of flour for gluten-free muffins. The physico-chemical properties of flour from three varieties were studied. The results showed the moisture content of flour was between 10.65 ± 0.01 and 10.85 ± 0.45%. Total protein content was highly significant with a difference of 1.97 ± 0.00%, 2.15 ± 0.01%, and 2.18 ± 0.01%, respectively. Moreover, ash and fat in each flour were highly significant. Amylose content was 19.93 ± 0.47%, and the viscosity was 6286.00 ± 1.52 mPa.s. The color of flour values of L* a* b* value was not statistically different in each variety of flour. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was used for the biochemical change in flour. The PCA and cluster analysis results revealed that cassava flour from Pirun 6 was different from Pirun 2 and Pirun 4. After that, the test using selected cassava flour from Pirun 6 to test the physical properties and sensory attributes of gluten-free muffins compared with wheat flour found that gluten-free muffins were overall better than basic muffins